Chapter 2

Chapter 2

This reaction struck Captain Zhao as very odd. Being slow to respond was one thing, but he had expected gratitude, embarrassment, vehement denial, or even anger in response to his words. Yet, Wu Xiaohu's reaction was... too calm, indifferent to the situation as if he wasn't the person involved, merely an unrelated bystander.

Even the thanks seemed given out of a sense of obligation rather than genuine gratitude.

Although puzzled, Captain Zhao at least knew his goodwill wasn't wasted. He instructed Wu Xiaohu to find a place to sit nearby, then returned to his original spot, setting his gun beside him and rolling up his trouser leg.

Beneath the trousers was a metallic-looking mechanical leg. Captain Zhao moved his knee and ankle joints, carefully wiping the surface of the prosthetic with a velvet cloth, just as he would maintain his weapon.

Midway through, he noticed Wu Xiaohu watching him, or rather, his leg. His deep, dark eyes half-hidden in shadow made it impossible to read his expression.

"A prosthetic, never seen one?" Captain Zhao asked lazily.

Upon hearing this, Wu Xiaohu squinted, his tone still flat: "Can't see it clearly."

Captain Zhao laughed briefly: "If you can't see clearly, then don't bother looking. Mechanical limbs aren't rare, especially in the military, where eight out of ten people have undergone various human enhancements and genetic optimizations."

Wu Xiaohu nodded, seemingly understanding, then truly stopped looking and closed his eyes to sleep.

Zhao decided to take a short rest. Before sleeping, he looked around once more, ensuring everyone else was alright.

Most hung their heads in shared distress, utterly exhausted, yet unable to sleep. Faint sobs were audible, but more prevalent were the dragging footsteps outside the farmhouse and the distinctive howls of the polluters.

At night, polluters have poor vision. Their aggressiveness is much lower compared to the daytime, mostly wandering aimlessly, bumping into trees and walls, or falling into pits.

Their nocturnal blindness somewhat resembled Wu Xiaohu's night blindness. Zhao turned his head and saw the man who was just adjusting his sitting posture had already fallen asleep, his head against the wall, face turned up, peacefully deep in slumber.

Never in the three years since the apocalypse had Zhao seen anyone sleep as carelessly and unconcerned for their safety as Wu Xiaohu.

"...Could this guy be an idiot?"

*

Around four in the morning, a streak of dawn broke through the dense, dark fog. In summer, dawn comes early. With the morning light, the polluters outside the farmhouse started to stir restlessly.

The researchers, wrapped in their coats, slept fitfully. Some hadn't closed their eyes all night, each with dark circles under their eyes, panicking at the slightest noise.

"...Except for one person. Zhao had to shove Wu Xiaohu several times, almost resorting to kicking him, before the man groggily opened his eyes, looking utterly lost in time.

"Captain, one of the mutated polluters has disappeared," reported a subordinate, rushing in.

"What do you mean 'disappeared'?" Captain Zhao asked coldly. "Be more specific. Has it left, or what?"

"Unclear, we just can't track it anymore."

"When did this happen?"

"Five minutes ago."

Five minutes ago, just as the first light of dawn broke, the mutated contaminant had been watching them all night. It's improbable that it would leave at such a time. The only possibility now is that it's hiding, ready to attack.

The mutated contaminants, unlike the common ones outside, possess a certain level of intelligence, making them particularly troublesome.

"All units, be on alert," Zhao ordered, jumping down from a higher position. "Where is the rescue team?"

"Report, Captain. The first rescue team dispatched by the headquarters encountered an accident en route. They urgently requested assistance from the vanguard at 1:16 AM. They are about fifteen minutes away from us now."

"The vanguard team? Don't tell me they've stirred up..." Captain Zhao's eyelids twitched a few times, indicating that borrowing manpower from the vanguard was not a piece of good news.

A loud bang interrupted their conversation, followed by several reflexive screams. Everyone simultaneously looked towards the source of the noise. There, a contaminant with half its jaw missing and drooling was lying on the window, looking in with a twisted posture. It was so close that its bulging eyeballs scraped against the glass, leaving behind eerie and disgusting traces.

The window was crowded with more than just this one contaminant. Dozens of ferocious faces jostled in view, densely packed and hair-raising. Within seconds, the long-neglected glass cracked, continuously shedding fragments and dust.

"Prepare to break out."

The brief command was followed by the sound of firearms being cocked.

Last night, upon entering the farmhouse, the guard squad had already determined the route for departure the next day. Now, they were still orderly guiding the scientists to evacuate in an organized manner. The lead person cautiously opened a side door, ensuring the contaminants nearby were not focused on them, then stepped aside with a gun in one hand, quickly signaling to the people behind him.

A flash of gold, and Professor Palmer was the first to rush out.

The rest of the scientists followed closely, except for Wu Xiaohu at the back, whose reaction was somewhat strange. Initially following the others because of the dim sky and the windows blocked by the contaminant crowd, he was clinging tightly to the hem of the researcher walking in front.

But as soon as the back door opened, he suddenly stopped, lifting his head in confusion.

Captain Zhao, covering the rear, was annoyed by his dazed appearance, barking at him to stop daydreaming before striding over to push this drag outside. Unexpectedly, Wu Xiaohu dodged his touch by shifting his shoulder, his eyes sharply scanning the surroundings before swiftly retreating, his movements as agile as a leopard, deftly landing in a corner.

Captain Zhao was momentarily stunned, but before he could react, a terrifying explosion burst open behind him, something heavy plummeting straight from the sky into the crowd. Turning around, Captain Zhao saw a man in a white lab coat being lifted high by a four-limbed creature biting his neck, followed by a spray of blood and a piercing scream that went through the ear.

The scientists unable to escape instantly panicked back into the farmhouse, one so terrified that he was crying and scrambling to hide.

This mutant contaminant was no longer of normal human anatomy, its limbs were exceptionally thin and long, like bamboo joints, firmly planted on the ground. After killing one person, it didn't continue its attack but crouched beside the corpse, grabbing the head and viciously smashing it against the ground until it was bloody and unrecognizable. Only then did it lower its head to start gnawing at the corpse's face.

This group of contaminants has an unusual obsession with human brains.

Instantly, sounds of vomiting echoed throughout the farmhouse.

The contaminants outside had already broken the windows, now stacking up in a twisted manner, crawling into the farmhouse. Breach was only a matter of time; staying inside meant certain death.

Seeing some fools continuously retreating, Captain Zhao's temples throbbed with visible veins: "You—"

Just then, a dark figure swiftly ran past the mutant contaminant, unavoidably brushing against the extended legs of a corpse, stepping over blood splatters on the ground, then Wu Xiaohu leaped lightly, covering nearly four to five meters in a single bound, quickly jumping outside the door.

"Yes, yes, yes," Captain Zhao, unsure how to explain to the terrified civilians, quickly pointed at Wu Xiaohu's retreating figure, "Like him, quick, while the mutant is still eating!"

Although most of the time, the scientists stayed in the safest research halls of the shelter and knew some safety basics, like contaminants not attacking while feeding, theory and practice always had a gap. Knowing is one thing, acting is another. Of the remaining three, two braved it, stumbling and rolling; one, too nervous, tripped, lying on the ground, trembling, until Captain Zhao scooped him up by the arm, then they ran out wailing.

Continuous gunfire outside, the guard squad used abandoned tractors and hay bales as cover, shooting the approaching contaminants to buy time for the scientists' retreat. Seeing most people successfully run into the nearby woods, Captain Zhao turned back only to see a young woman inside the farmhouse, covering her mouth, her eyes full of panicked tears.

She was one of the three people forcibly brought in by Associate Professor Palmer.

"Don't just stand there! Hurry!" Captain Zhao growled through gritted teeth, "It's now or never!"

The woman tentatively took a couple of steps forward, but the sudden movement of the mutant froze her in place, tears rolling down as she shook her head, as if saying she couldn't do it.

Captain Zhao's gaze fell behind her, seemingly spotting some horrifying scene, his pupils contracted, shouting uncontrollably loud, "Hurry up!!"

The woman stood still, shaking her head in despair. The next second, she was overwhelmed by the surging contaminants, her cries for help silenced before they could even emerge, completely engulfed.

Without a moment's hesitation, Captain Zhao turned and ran, the two rearguard members of the guard squad also didn't look back as they followed. Behind them, the contaminants flowed like a black tide, closely trailing them, merging into the forest.